What was 'The Agency'? What are PMQs? How do party leadership elections work? Find out more about parliament, its history and the people who have walked its halls in our short guide to the terms referenced in David Hare's The Absence of War.

Headlong in association with the Cultural Institute at King's | Jan. 19, 2015

Theatre is an ineherntly voyeuristic medium. Since the Snowden revelations, there have been a series of shows that have focused on the ethics and extent of contemporary surveillance. At the same time, activists challenging surveillence culture have often used forms of performance, both offline and online, to challenge Big Brother's ever widening gasp.

Robert Icke, Prof. Tim Jordan, Duncan Macmillan and Dr. Dan Mcquillan discuss the ways in which theatre and other forms of performance have been used to explore the nature of contemporary surveillance culture.

Headlong in association with the Cultural Institute at King's | Jan. 12, 2015

People often refer to the idea that we are living in 1984 when talking about contemporary surveillance culture, but to what extent is that a valid observation? How much do contemporary forms of surveillance actually resemble the forms of surveillance that Orwell imagines in 1984?

Sarah Grochala talks about Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan's adaptation of 1984. The talk was given at the Nam Paik June Art Center in Seoul, South Korea. The talk is in English and translated into Korean. English translation starts at 4.45 minutes.

Michael Takeo Magruder talks about his work as a visual artist who works with digital media. He also discusses the idea of art as a form of journalism. The talk was given at the Nam Paik June Art Center in Seoul, South Korea. The talk is in English and translated into Korean.

Sarah Grochala talks about the process of creating the digital double app and the ideas that inspired it. The talk was given at the Nam Paik June Art Center in Seoul, South Korea. The talk is in English and translated into Korean.

People often refer to the idea that we are living in 1984, but to what extent is that a valid observation about contemporary society?

In 2013, Headlong collaborated with the Cultural Institute’s at King's on a project to explore the relationship between digital technology and live performance. This partnership resulted in the development of an app, 1984 Digital Double, which explores the nature of contemporary surveillance.

Headlong and the Cultural Institute at King's invite you to join a group of digital experts and innovative artists for a day of platform panels exploring a wide range of questions about digital technology, live performance and surveillance.

On 6 June 2013, journalists from the Guardian and Washington Post reported that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was undertaking a portfolio of clandestine mass surveillance programs on a scale reminiscent of George Orwell’s dystopian society of 1984. Their initiatives supposedly ranged from bulk collection of email and telephone records to infiltrating the data infrastructures of every leading internet company and service provider. These activities were not targeted at specific individuals or groups, but rather focused on compiling personal data from millions of unsuspecting citizens indiscriminately and without jurisdiction or oversight.

PRISM is a digital installation by artist Michael Takeo Magruder reflecting on these revelations and the person who brought this information to the public's attention, Edward Snowden. The project has been produced in collaboration with Headlong and the Cultural Institute at King's College London.

Dr Paolo Gerbaudo discusses the use of social media by political activists, including those involved in the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street. He also examines the ways in which social media can be used by the state as a tool of repression.